VIRGINIA BEACH — For all the recent buzz about Virginia Beach absconding with the NBA's Sacramento Kings, Tuesday's build-it-and-maybe-some-team-will-come presentation to the city council was very understated.

No Maloof brothers handing out chips to The Palms casino. No David Stern hotwiring a bulldozer to break ground on the proposed $350-million arena. No fans wearing Mitch Richmond throwback jerseys.

And sagely so.

As the key player in this potential deal, Comcast-Spectacor president Peter Luukko, told the council in chambers and the media afterward: "This is very preliminary."

To say the least, Luukko is wired in the sports and entertainment racket. His company owns the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and the arena they share with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. Through parent and subsidiaries, he is connected to venue management and cable television.

Moreover, Luukko sits on the NHL's Board of Governors and used to serve on the NBA's board. Translation: He has NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NBA chief Stern on speed dial.

"I have met with various officials in the NBA and NHL just to make them aware that this (Virginia Beach arena) may be a possibility," Luukko told reporters.

Luukko declined to offer details but refuted accounts of negotiations with the Kings.

"We're in no discussions with any teams," Luukko insisted to a Sacramento Bee reporter who attended Tuesday's sessions.

Told that The Meridian Group, a marketing and public relations firm retained by the city, had purchased the Internet domains "VBKings" and "VirginiaBeachKings," Luukko smiled wryly.

The Meridian Group's Terry Kelley explained: "We're trying to get out ahead of this thing. We bought a whole bunch of URLs, like any other marketing company would do. … I think you have to look at specific franchises that might be on the move."

Indeed, Joe and Gavin Maloof, the former casino magnates who own the Kings, have been trolling for a sweeter arena deal in Sacramento, Anaheim, Calif., and Seattle. All are established pro sports markets.

Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads most assuredly are not, and Tuesday's ruse du jour came when Warren Harris, the city's director of economic development, included Richmond in the "southeastern Virginia" market.

Richmond? Anyone who's spent five minutes in this region understands it's a stretch to lump Williamsburg, Hampton and Newport News with Virginia Beach, much less Richmond.

Virginia Beach's proposed 18,500-seat arena and Washington, D.C.'s Verizon Center, home to the NBA's Wizards and NHL's Capitals, are equidistant from downtown Richmond. And traveling toward D.C., on Interstate 95 North for an evening Caps game is easier than navigating I-64 East at a similar time.

DeSteph and colleague John Moss adamantly oppose any public funding in this era of squeezed budgets for schools, police and other essentials. Bank on a few citizens sharing their sentiment.

Which prompts another question: Could such an arena prosper without an NBA or NHL tenant?

With serviceable-but-outdated coliseums in Hampton, Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia has long lacked a big-league venue. Were one to arise in Virginia Beach, conferences such as the ACC, Newport News-based Atlantic 10 and Richmond-based Colonial Athletic Association absolutely would consider bringing their basketball tournaments here.

The facility also might attract NCAA basketball championship competition. Men's hoops could stage regionals, while the women could bring their Final Four.

As Luukko noted, New Orleans and Oklahoma City built quality arenas for such events before acquiring their respective NBA franchises. But could the Virginia Beach project thrive without the pros?

"I don't know that yet," he said.

Luukko added that Comcast-Spectacor is not interested in purchasing a team to move here. Nor has it committed to becoming the arena's title sponsor.

What Comcast has agreed to do is lease the building for 25 years and use its myriad contacts to pursue a marquee tenant. The rest is up to Virginia Beach.

"We're not perfect," Luukko said, "but we'd like to feel we have a pretty good idea of the potential of this marketplace."

A Comcast subsidiary runs Old Dominion's Constant Center, and its partner on this venture, Live Nation, operates Virginia Beach's Farm Bureau Live Amphitheater.

But for all that market knowledge and all of Comcast's sports influence, it's still difficult to envision the NBA or NHL approving a franchise's move here. I also wonder whether Virginia Beach can solve the financial and political riddles at play.

All Luukko wants is a chance.

"It looks like it has wheels," he said of the project. "Let's see where we can go with it."

Sure. Let's.

David Teel can be reached at 757-247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/sports/teeltime and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP